The invention lies in the semiconductor technology field. More specifically, the present invention relates to a semiconductor memory configuration having at least two memory cell arrays provided with strips made up of sense amplifiers, i.e., sense-amp transistors, and drivers. Open areas that are not required are provided between the at least two memory cell arrays for the semiconductor memory configuration.
Integrated semiconductor arrangements with dummy components have been described, for example, in the commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/017,467 (based on German published patent application DE 197 03 611 A1) and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,148.
Semiconductor memory configurations are provided with a multiplicity of memory cell arrays each comprising strips made up of sense-amp transistors and drivers associated with the latter. There exist, thereby , between adjacent memory cell arrays regions or areas which are not fully used and which are caused by the specific design of the semiconductor memory configuration. However, these open areas mean that the position of sense-amp transistors adjoining them is different than that of all the rest of the sense-amp transistors, which adjoin other sense-amp transistors in the strip on both sides. In other words, a sense-amp transistor which adjoins an open area has a different xe2x80x9cproximityxe2x80x9d than ordinary sense-amp transistors.
It has come to light that the different surroundings of the sense-amp transistors adjoining open areas are a disadvantage for the manufacture of the semiconductor memory configuration: diffusion processes, depositions of polycrystalline silicon for forming gate electrodes and, in particular, lithography operations, and the like, exhibit a somewhat different behavior on the boundary of open areas than in the center of the strip. Although these so-called xe2x80x9cproximity effectsxe2x80x9d are slight, they can certainly be measured and are troublesome during the operation of the semiconductor memory configuration.
In addition, in existing semiconductor memory configurations, the diffusion region of sense-amp transistors is interrupted below the open areas, which is a disadvantage for the manufacture of these semiconductor memory configurations because diffusion regions should be produced as cohesively as possible in order to simplify manufacture.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a semiconductor memory device with dummy elements on continuous diffusion regions, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and the components of which are impaired as little as possible by proximity effects during manufacture and which is distinguished by continuous diffusion regions.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a semiconductor memory configuration, comprising:
at least two memory cell arrays provided with strips made up of sense-amp transistors and drivers;
an open area not required for the semiconductor memory configuration, the open area being disposed between the at least two memory cell arrays;
dummy components formed in the open area, the dummy components being at least largely similar to, or the same as, adjacent components of the memory cell arrays; and
a common, continuous diffusion region in which the dummy components and the adjacent components are arranged.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the dummy components are dummy transistors.
The invention achieves this object in a semiconductor memory configuration of the type mentioned in the introduction in that the open areas are provided with dummy components which are the same as, or as similar as possible to, the adjacent components of the memory arrays, and in that the dummy components and the adjacent components are arranged in a common, continuous diffusion region. xe2x80x9cAs similar as possiblexe2x80x9d is to be understood as meaning that the dummy components are matched to the components as far as possible during processing. These dummy components are preferably dummy transistors. Below the dummy components or dummy transistors, the diffusion region of adjacent components is continuous, so that, with sense-amp transistors, for example, a uniform, continuous diffusion region is produced below the strips of two adjacent memory cell arrays. This allows the yield to be increased considerably when the semiconductor memory configuration is manufactured. The common, continuous diffusion region has unexpectedly been found to raise the radiation tolerance, particularly with regard to alpha radiation.
The dummy transistors can be arranged such that they are turned on when the adjoining memory cell arrays are activated.
Thus, the invention is taking a completely different path than that of the prior art to date: instead of looking for a design which avoids open areas as far as possible, the invention accepts these open areas. However, they are filled with dummy components, particularly transistors, which allows proximity effects in a wide variety of planes to be largely compensated for during diffusion operations, deposition of polycrystalline silicon etc. The components situated at the edge of open areas thus have the same proximity as the other components, so that the result of adding the dummy components is uniform surroundings for the components. Where there are strips of sense-amp transistors, for example, a continuous diffusion region is provided below them.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a semiconductor memory configuration with dummy components on continuous diffusion regions, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.